


On Chess

by kitsunerei88



Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Chess, Chess Metaphors, Games, Gen, Mentors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitsunerei88/pseuds/kitsunerei88
Summary: "Chess isn’t about how the pieces move. Anyone can learn how the pieces move. Chess, like a battle, is about controlling territory."
Relationships: Keladry of Mindelan & Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	On Chess

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DragonBandit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonBandit/gifts).



“Kel, are you busy?”

Kel looked up from her book. Breaks on the road were few and far between, but if Raoul needed something, of course she would make herself available. Her knight-master’s dark eyes were dancing with anticipation, and his smile was too broad and too eager—she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes in suspicion.

“No, sir,” she replied cautiously. “What do you need?”

Lord Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie’s Peak produced a checkerboard from behind his back. “There are many ways of learning strategy,” he said, and his voice was glee covered in a thin veneer of wisdom. “Chess is one of them. Come, indulge me in a game.”

Kel narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, but she nodded and cleared off a space on the low table that rested in her tent. She knew chess, in the sense that any Tortallan child had learned the rules of the game, but she hadn’t played in many years. It wasn’t a game popular in the Yamani Isles, nor was it one that her family played with any regularity.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve played,” she said, tapping at one of Raoul’s hands as he held them out. He opened it up to reveal a black piece, and they started setting up the board. Kel kept a close eye on Raoul’s side to ensure that she was doing it correctly, remembering just in time that the queens started on their colours. “I’m not sure you’ll have any sport from me.”

“All the better to play, then,” Raoul retorted, then moved a white pawn in the middle of the board forward. Keeping in mind the directions in which pawns could take other pawns, Kel picked out another pawn further down on the board and moved it forward a single spot, rather than the two that she knew she could make.

“Interesting,” Raoul said, before he brought out his knight.

The destruction on the board was short and complete. Raoul cleaned up her pieces one by one, while Kel’s found herself hampered by, remarkably, her own pieces. She couldn’t get her bishops or knights out into play, not when they were being blocked by her own pawns. Getting to the other end of the board, where Raoul’s own king rested practically undefended, was a pipe dream. It couldn’t have been more than nine moves before Kel toppled over her own king, conceding defeat.

“Best decision you could have made, there.” Raoul nodded, before he started setting up the board again. “You haven’t played a lot of chess, have you?”

“No. I know how the pieces move, but it’s not played in the Yamani Isles.” Kel gathered up her pieces, wrinkling her nose a little. Even recognizing her disadvantage—it was obvious that Raoul rather liked chess and that he played a lot of it—the defeat smarted. “As I said, you won’t have much sport from me.”

“Not now, maybe.” Raoul smiled. “But give it six months of play, you’ll catch up quickly. Chess isn’t really a good analogue for command, but there is a lot to learn about strategy in it. Tell me, Kel—what went wrong?”

Kel sighed, shutting her eyes to remember the game. It was short, and somehow too clear in her memory. “I was too cautious in the beginning of the game, I think. I didn’t move my pieces as much as I could have, so when your pieces came across the board, my own pieces got in the way.”

“That’s right.” Raoul nodded, setting up his side of the board again. “So, a few key things to keep in mind: chess isn’t about how the pieces move. Anyone can learn how the pieces move. Chess, like a battle, is about controlling territory—I move my queen’s pawn two forward because it gives me control of more of the board. The usual response, just so you know, is for you to do the same to counter me. Let’s try again.”

Kel nodded, trying to keep his advice in mind, and they went for another game.

* * *

Six months later, Kel walked into Raoul’s study with her own board under her arm.

“Chess is one thing,” she informed him politely. “But let us play a true game of strategy: Go _._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! A few notes: I'm actually terrible at chess, but Raoul's first move was a classic pawn to E4, which is the most common opening move in professional chess. The reason is that it both establishes early dominance in over the centre of the board, plus it adds to the "development" of the game because it gives an exit path to your queen and your queenside bishop to get out and dominate the board. Kel probably responded with something like a pawn to G6 or something, which is a fairly weak opening because it doesn't accomplish anything (since knights can jump pawns anyway). The usual response to pawn to E4 is pawn to E5 to counter.


End file.
